Easily Navigate Podcasts Using Chapters
I’d estimate that podcasts make up about half of my total audio experience on iTunes. Here are a few of my favorite Mac related podcasts:
MacBreak Weekly
Probably the best Mac podcast in the land, host Leo Laporte discusses weekly Mac news with a rotating panel that reguraly includes Scott Bourne, Andy Ihnatko and Alex Lindsay. (The genius of Merlin Mann used to grace the show, and indeed his cartoonified picture is still on the show’s artwork, but it seems he’s moved onto other things now.)
Check out MBW on the web and on iTunes.
Mac Geek Gab
As the name suggests, MGG discuses some of the more complicated situations one occasionally finds themselves in as a Mac user. John F. Braun and Dave Hamilton, the regular hosts, really know their stuff. It’s a wealth of troubleshooting knowledge.
Check out MGG on the web and on iTunes.
MacBreak Tech
Although not updated regularly, MBT deserves a place in every Mac user’s podcast queue. The hosts normally choose a topic and spend an hour or more just bouncing ideas around and brainstorming. It’s always informative and can be great fun to listen to.
Check out MBT on the web and on iTunes.
iPhone Ally
I only recently began listening to iPhone Ally – about he same time I got my iPod Touch. It’s primarily a video podcast that provides hands on previews of free and paid iPhone apps. I’ve already discovered a few gems by watching.
Check out iPhone Ally on the web and on iTunes.
But this post isn’t about my favorite podcasts. Well, maybe it is, but also I want to share something that, despite how much time I spend in iTunes, I never noticed before: the Chapters menu.
Chapters are normally inserted into podcasts whenever there is a significant change of topic In the conversation, which makes it easy for listeners to skip to whatever part of the episode they choose. Much like the chapters in books, chapters in podcasts lend what might otherwise be quite amorphous a sense of continuity and structure.
Now, I’ve always know about Chapters themselves, but what I didn’t notice is the dedicated menu that appears on your menubar when your listening to a show that has been conveniently sliced up this way. Just have a look at the screen shot to see what I mean. From here you can easily navigate your podcast.
Unfortunately, not every podcast supports Chapters. Nevertheless, I think this menu makes it worth while to have a look whether or not your favorite shows do.
Do you listen to many podcasts? What are your favorites? Know any tricks to improve the experience? Let us know in the comments.
